Alta Capital Management LLC Acquires 16,539 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Alta Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 24.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 83,545 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 16,539 shares during the quarter. Alta Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,817,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cascade Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 60.6% in the 4th quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 18,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,067,000 after acquiring an additional 6,984 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 166.9% in the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 23,862 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,376,000 after acquiring an additional 14,920 shares during the last quarter. CMG Global Holdings LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. CMG Global Holdings LLC now owns 31,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,797,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth about $331,000. Finally, Mission Wealth Management LP increased its stake in Altria Group by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 20,126 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,160,000 after acquiring an additional 1,826 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

MO opened at $73.67 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $67.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $63.11. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $74.56. The firm has a market cap of $123.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.41, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 88.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America increased their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.33.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc (NYSE: MO) is a U.S.-based consumer goods company whose principal business is the manufacture and sale of tobacco products. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company’s operations are focused primarily on the U.S. market and include the production, marketing and distribution of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and cigars. Its flagship cigarette franchise in the United States is sold through its operating subsidiaries and is among the most recognizable cigarette brands in the country.

Altria’s principal operating businesses include Philip Morris USA (cigarettes), U.S.